Back to "Montana/Sassy/Justice"
Next to "Escobar Gallardo"
Back Home
|
|
|
| Antonia Ramos | ||
| Original Airdate: October 14, 2003 | ||
| Writers: Jennifer Salt & Brad Falchuk | ||
| Director: Elodie Keene | ||
| Aside from the Julia/Sophia subplot, this episode could've played well alongside the season finale as a two hour event.� The return of an early villain provides a venue for significant change and complication in the characters' lives.� Things are escalating as they're drawn deeper into an underworld where gangster exploit innocent and desperate people and hope for escaping their clutches grows dim. | ||
| Sean and Christian consult Maria, a Colombian with enormous breasts.� She had two implants in each breast to appeal to American love for well endowed women.� When she arrived, she found out that modeling agencies wouldn't take someone with as large a chest as hers.� As they prepare for surgery, they talk about how they can't believe the butchers who would do two implants, a very painful procedure. | ||
| Sean is curious about the fluid inside the implants.� It doesn't feel or have the consistency of saline.� Suddenly Escobar Gallardo emerges and informs then that it is heroin.� Maria agreed to be his mule and snuck in a million dollars worth of heroin in her breasts.� Consequences make for great drama, and the return of Gallardo is a great example of that.� In addition, it's great to see more Robert LaSardo, who really shines in the last episodes of the season. | ||
| Gallardo wonders when Maria will be available to undergo another implant procedure.� They can't believe that he would do that to her.� She could lose sensation in her breasts if she's operated on again.� He ignores that concern since she begged him to be a mule and he feels the opportunity to live in America outranks the risks with these procedures.� Stories of the desperately poor who'll do anything to provide a better life for their family and the drug lords who test that claim are unimaginable here. | ||
| He draws a parallel that drug dealers and plastic surgeons aren't that different in their function in life.� Both help people deal with self-loathing and both leave "no scars".� Escobar is there to tie up a loose end.� Perez, one of Gallardo's former henchmen from the pilot episode, stole the $300,000 that he used to pay McNamara/Troy to alter his face.� Gallardo wants it back.� Unfortunately, they have spent the money on their business.� He demands that they get it somehow in a week.� To reiterate how evil this man is, he makes a rape threat directed at Julia as a potential way to repay his debt. | ||
| When Julia goes to her yoga class, she meets Sophia Lopez, who is taking the class as well.� Sophia draws much attention to herself and gets strange looks from everyone in the studio except for Julia. �Julia's story doesn't fit so well in retrospect because of their decision not to continue the Sophia Lopez character.� It feels a bit like a rehashed version of the "Sophia Lopez" episode, where someone garners tolerance for a different lifestyle. | ||
| Getting $300,000 is stressful enough, but in addition, Christian has to prepare for his family.� Gina is now six months pregnant and eager to buy expensive items for the baby, in addition to child proofing Christian's apartment.� The pregnancy has changed Christian.� Though he still doesn't like Gina eating on his $1,100 sheets, he rebukes her for trying to smoke while pregnant.� She agrees to stop, but only if he'll buy the expensive things for her. | ||
| Approaching the deadline, they find that they're still short of what Escobar wants.� They have to take "less desirable" clients, such as the man with two tongue tips, and ask for payments up front in cash.� By the meeting, they are still short, but Escobar cuts them a deal to have them exclusively work on his mules.� Sean shoots his mouth off and Escobar threatens to cut off his hand, effectively ruining his livelihood. | ||
| Following this Christian and Gina are out shopping for things for the baby.� There they meet Brad, one of the clerks.� Within minutes, he is more affectionate than Christian has been to her through their whole relationship (if you can call it that.)� She even gives him her address for the order, something Christian doesn't know.� While at the store, Pepe gives him further instructions about a new mule coming to town. | ||
| The strange looks Sophia got results in a petition to remove her from the class. �All the members have signed except for Julia.� They are concerned about having a man there, even if he underwent gender reassignment.� Julia's comfortable with having her in the class, and begs Susanne to let her speak to Sophia to see if she can do anything.� Actually, she doesn't, but instead supports her enrollment.� Because of her support, she gets a girlfriend to discuss her problems with, which doesn't have much impact as she doesn't come back to the show. | ||
| Sean still doesn't want to cave in to Gallardo's demands, but Christian sees no other option.� The last time he tried, he was tortured with Botox injections.� They're stuck in an impossible situation as a murderer holds them hostage with threats of violence if demands are not upheld.� The consequence for taking in a client like Perez has snowballed beyond anything from which they could walk away. | ||
| Christian finds out her address and confronts her about her ability to raise this child.� She lives in a houseboat, which can be dangerous for a child.� The marina isn't clean either; there are rats everywhere.� Christian is right, but Gina refuses his help and throws his gift of a stroller in the water. | ||
| Sean rushes out of the house, which raises Julia's ire.� In the wake of the affair, heading out for "late surgery" is going to rouse above normal suspicion.� He failed to notify her before she started to prepare dinner.� Frustrated, she throws the frying pan in the sink.� Matt tries to comfort her by saying that he's likely not having an affair.� She's upset that he found out about it and that he's trying to cushion the act itself.� Matt leaves frustrated that he's being treated like a kid.� Somehow, this scene doesn't function as it should.� They should've spent more of this episode focusing on the aftermath of Henry's decision to tell Cara instead of Julia's friendship with Sophia. | ||
| Sean and Christian prepare for surgery when Liz enters.� She isn't there for them, but for the girl who was mutilated for the drug trade.� Pepe comes in and tells them there's been a complication and they need to go.� Liz was right to come.� The title character is in a seedy hotel, convulsing because of an infection she got from the unclean tools the butchers used. | ||
| This is where we see what a callous monster Escobar truly is.� He's not doting over her.� He's satisfying his cocaine desire in another room as 80s pop music plays (which becomes far more sinister than it was ever intended).� He doesn't even know her name (Pepe tells them).� Instead, he refers to her as derogatory words.� He's only concerned with the heroin inside her. ��Once he gets it, he leaves them to do whatever with Antonia. | ||
| They do the right thing and treat her in their office.� As she learns her prognosis, she asks when she'll be well enough to travel to Fort Lauderdale to pursue her modeling contract.� She hasn't figured out that it was all a scam so Escobar could get drugs into the states.� This news crushes her.� To see such a delicate, beautiful girl be mislead by a vile monster like Escobar further escalates the hatred from the audience. | ||
| As Christian gets his order from the baby supply store, he finds out that Brad had slept with Gina.� Brad has a pregnant woman fetish.� Where the Christian we knew from early in the season would've congratulated him, the new one is furious that he would brag about being with the mother of his child.� This child made Christian able to see outside of himself. | ||
| Matt and Julia discuss the aftermath of that previous conversation.� Matt is certain that something is wrong.� They don't have time to say much before Escobar comes from one of the rooms with Annie, holding her hand.� He tells them that this visit is to let Sean know he visited.� It is tense as he grabs the kitchen knife and slams it down on a cucumber.� He compliments her on her choice of produce, which is true to his character; a blend of the psychotic and charismatic. | ||
| Gina tries to light another cigarette, which Christian swipes before she can.� Now she is pursuing her sexual addiction on top of her other self-destructive attitudes.� She dismisses his concerns as his way of making her life miserable, but he sees it as protecting the baby.� He knows she can't handle being a mother alone so he invites her to his house so he can be an active participant in helping this baby's development.� They sleep together (in the literal sense) and they experience intimacy that they never were able to in the past.� He touches her stomach tenderly and feels the baby kick and she finally divulges her last name.� Something she had held out on him since they met. | ||
| Sean has come a long way since the pilot episode.� With his family threatened, Sean warns Escobar, who at the time is "busy" with a mistress, never to go near them again.� Escobar commends Sean on his audacity, but tells him his visit was to make sure he knew that he wouldn't get any resistance for future work.� Then he gets back to his mistress, threatening that he could easily do what he's doing to his wife.� It's unsettling as he makes Sean watch.� They have no choice, and take another mule as a patient. | ||
| The episode fully utilizes Robert LaSardo, who was underused in the pilot episode, to show the consequences of their actions wouldn't be limited to self contained episodes.� The titular character's ordeal, while brief, was affective and disturbing.� Certain elements outside of Sean and Christian's story don't work ideally, but the whole is moving to a satisfying conclusion. | ||
| Score: 8/10 | ||
| Back to Nip/Tuck Back to "Montana/Sassy/Justice" Next to "Escobar Gallardo" Back Home |
||